John Fowler & Co.

John Fowler was an agricultural engineer and inventor who was born in Wiltshire in 1826. He worked on the mechanisation of agriculture and was based in Leeds. He is credited with the invention of steam-driven ploughing engines. He died 4 December 1864, following a hunting accident. After his death, John Fowler & Co., was then continued by Robert Fowler and Robert Eddison. In 1886 the limited company of John Fowler & Co., (Leeds) Ltd., was formed. It merged with Marshall, Sons & Co., Ltd., of Gainsborough in 1947 to form Marshall-Fowler Ltd.

Although not well known for them, Fowler also built a small number (117 has been claimed) of steam wagons. These were vertical-boilered, with an unusual single-crank cross-compound vee-twin engine. They featured a gearbox (but no clutch) to provide a low drive ratio for climbing steep hills with heavy loads.[1] At least one was preserved, as part of the Tom Varley collection.

Production of ploughing engines ceased in 1935.[2] The last Fowler steam driven vehicle was a steam roller produced in 1937.[3] The main products produced by Fowler during the 1930s were their range of tracked tractors, the FD2, FD3 and FD4, powered by Fowler-Sanders diesel engines of 2, 3, and 4 cylinders. They also produced the Fowler Gyrotiller from 1927 - this was a large tracked vehicle 34 foot long and 10 ft 6in wide powered initially by a 225 hp Ricardo petrol engine, later by a 170 hp MAN diesel. It was claimed it could convert virgin territory to seed-bed in one pass and at a rate of an acre per hour.[4] Later versions of the gyrotiller were produced as attachments to the standard Fowler diesel crawler range with Fowler-Sanders engines of 30, 40 and 80 hp. A total of 88 gyrotillers were produced.[5]

During the Second World War, the Hunslet factory also produced Matilda, Cromwell, and Centaur tanks for the Army. Track castings were made at a Ministry of Supply factory built in 1943 at Sprotbrough, and after the war Fowler acquired this highly mechanised foundry. In 1947 Fowler came under the ownership of Marshall, Sons & Co. (themselves owned by Thomas W. Ward Ltd). The two companies produced agricultural tractors with Fowler focussing on the tracked versions, and Marshall on the wheeled versions. Although Fowler operated as a subsidiary of Marshall until at least 1966 the companies were eventually merged and the exhibits at the 1970 Smithfield show (three new Track Marshall tractors) are attributed to Marshall-Fowler Limited, John Fowler Works, Leeds.[6]

Production at the Hunslet factory finally ceased in early 1974, by which time production of both tracked and wheeled tractors had been moved to the Marshall works at Gainsborough.[7]

Around 700 Fowler engines have survived into preservation.[3]

Traction engines

Fowler traction engine 'Lady Carrick'

• The Iron Maiden, a Fowler & Co.-built Showman's engine which was featured in the film, The Iron Maiden, is exhibited as part of the Scarborough Fair Collection of Fairground organs and machinery at events such as the Great Dorset Steam Fair.
• The Melbourne Steam Traction Engine Club of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, a volunteer organisation dealing with the preservation of Australia's mechanical heritage, has a number of Fowler Traction Engines and Steam Rollers in preservation, some privately owned by members, and some owned by the club. Most are in restored, operating condition and are demonstrated to the public regularly. Club engines include one of a pair of Z7 ploughing engines.
• John Fowler 7nhp Steam Road Locomotive, Serial No 13037, in Wellington, New South Wales, Australia.[10]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Fowler & Co (Leeds).

• "The Leeds Engine web site", leedsengine.info
• List of Fowler-built steam locomotives
• Fowler traction engines
• Fowler diesel locomotive (model)
• Fowler Traction Engine list
• Leeds Fowler 11277 preserved in Bundaberg Australia
• Video clip of Leeds Fowler 11277 preserved in Bundaberg Australia
• The records of the company, to 1974, are held at Reading University - Museum of English Rural Life - John Fowler and Co (Leeds) Ltd (TR FOW/AC - TR FOW/AD)
• Brown, Jonathan. "Fowler, John (1826–1864)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/10010. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)